Telephone instrument



Aug. 16, 1949. G. T. BAKER 2,479,198

TELEPHONE INSTRUMENT.

Filed May 27, 1944 v mv'smon GEORGE THOMAS BAKER ATTO RNEY Patented Aug. 16, 1949 PATENT T '2 clai s. fi(o1. M4106);

The present inventionrela j struments whether of the type suitable for connection to public exchanges oroi the type for use with small private exchanges, which may. be of a simpler nature owing to the. possibility of dispensing with some of the more usual parts. The mainobject of the-inventionis to produce a construction which while being more. pleasing to the eye is arranged so-that the various parts are normally protected. from dustand dirt and .pos-* sible damage.

According to one ieature oitheiinvention ini;

a telephone instrument of the handset type the handset is arranged to; fit into and substantially close the mouth of a depression in a member which serves for its 'support'andprotection.

According to another featureof the invention, in a telephone instrument 'ofthehandset type the handset and its support are so'sliape'd 'thatthe handset when placed onitssupportiisfsubstantially within the support and forms a smooth continuation of the outer surface of thssupport.

A furtherfeature of "the nvention is thatin .a telephone instrument of the handset type incliid ing 'a ,dial switchythe' dial'switch is I located. in a recess the mouth"ofwhich'issubstantially closed by thehandset when not in use.

Preferably the" instrument is fconstructedso that its outside "surface isiotmed'of a small number of smooth curvesand may "for instance be roughly a prolate henii'sphei'oid. The handset portion, that is to say the portion including the transmitter l0 and receiver ll which-isiheld" against the speakefis'fa'cdwhile the telephone is in use, forms a kind oflid or plug for a, con-.- tainer, or base 12 with the transmitter and 'receiver housings l0 and II mounted on the lower surface of member I5 so that when replaced on the container to constitute the complete instrument they are protected from dust and dirt. With this construction it is possible to give the instrument clean lines since the various components such as transmitter I0, receiver II and dial switch l3 are all located inside the opening Id of the main body, or base I'2, of the instrument when it is not in use.

In these circumstances the handset need not be of the conventional shape though obviously of course it must still conform to the recognised dimensions which have been found most suitable for the average size of face. The transmitter l0 and receiver ll may be connected together by a substantially fiat member 15 suitable for forming part of the main casing when the handset is in its nornialpositionit ing a suitable handle it or grip by Which-the.-

handset may be removed from the instrument and held during use inconversation. ,The nan-a.- die member I6 however will preferably not stand out but will continue the lines olf the remainder} of the instrument, the required handle efiect being-produced by a cavityor an opening I} be',,. tween. two depressions inv the handle ,lfi and; member [5, The handset ma.-y "i desired "carry 7 on itsinside'suriace a cardinot shown), or the. like suitable for the reception of'frequentlyvused numbers or instructions appropriatefortheqlocal network.

In order to ensurethat-the-handS'flLShall take up its proper positioneven if itisrestored some;. what carelessly, it maybe desirable to provide. the opening l4 with an inclined-or substantially" conical seating so that it willtend to fall into? proper position and give a substantially dust-tightclosure. Part of the conical portion of/the in.- strument would be movable oriwould include ;a

movable. plunger (not showniso that the hand-., set could operate 'so-cal-led -switchhooksprings for the usual purpose, or alternativel ithe handset might incorporate a gravity switch for produc ing the necessary circuit changes.

The handset cord (not shown) could beat'- ta-ched in the usual manner but preferably it will be attached to the inside of the instrument and: tothe inner side of the handset so that when the instrument is'not in use the handset cord will. be entirely enclosed. v(Ionveniently this cord may lbe .oi the retractile type so that no special care on the part of the user is necessary to ensure that it returns to its proper position without impeding the correct seating of the handset. With this arrangement it might be desirable, in order to avoid possible trouble withthe cord, to arrange for the handset portion to be sloped towards the user, the slope preferably being that normally employed for the dial switch. There would then be a greater tendency for the user automatically to replace the handset always in the same position, i. e. with the transmitter at the lower end nearer the user. Alternatively, the slope of the opening I4 could be of a similar amount in a transverse direction. The opening l4 and the corresponding handset member 'may also be shaped so as not to be symmetrical'about more than one axis in which case the handset must always be replaced the same way.

The usualcomponents, such as induction coil, bell and dial switch 13 will be located inside the instrument and the base I2 which will probably his manta 5 mallet;

3 be provided with rubber feet in accordance with usual practice may conveniently be formed with a grill or louvres in order to enable the bell to be heard satisfactorily. The dial switch l3 will preferably be immediately beneath the handset so that it can readily be operated when the handset is removed. Such an arrangement has the additional advantage that dialling cannot be attempted without the removal of the handset. A

enclosed it would be possible for the casing to be made of such shape and colour as to harmonise with any particular decorative scheme desired by the user and alternativelythe handle member l6 by which the handset is removed instead of being substantially flush could be of some special ornamental nature.

It will be understood that the instrument as a whole would preferably be provided with some means for gripping it readily so as to enable it to be moved, or a locking device could be provided so that an attempt to remove the handset would lift the whole instrument, for instance the handset might fit into place with a type of bayonet connection. As a further development the instrument might be built into a wall or table so as to form a substantially flush surface, the removal of the handset for speaking purposes giving access to the dial. The accompanying drawings Figs. 1-3, show the general appearance of one possible construction, Fig. 1 being a view of the handset member, Fig. 2 of the remainder of the instrument and Fig. 3 of the complete instrument when not in use. 7

According to the invention, therefore, a telephone instrument has been produced which offers important advantages over conventional construction both in appearance and in more satis-' factory operation. Y 7

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a telephone desk set having a hand telephone comprising an elongated member having oval-shaped ends, a curved handle integrally connected to the upper surface of said member near said oval-shaped ends, an opening between said handle and the upper surface of said member to provide a hand grasp for the user, the lower surface of said member being fiat, a pair of housings for a telephone transmitter and a telephone receiver extending beyond said member, a base conforming in shape to said member havin a smaller but similarly shaped opening for receiving both said housings, an upper flat edge of said base cooperating with the outer rim of said lower fiat surface of said member when said member is placed on said base for closing said base opening, 10 and a calling device including a rotatably operated finger wheel located within said base opening in between the space occupied by said housings and protected against accumulation of dust by said member when said member is placed on said base to cover said base opening.

2. In a telephone desk set having a hand telephone comprising an elongated member having oval shaped ends, an upper surface, a curved handle integrally connected to said upper surface of said member near-both ends of said memher, a flat lower surface, and a pair of housings for a telephone transmitter and a telephone receiver extending beyond said lower flat surface of said member, a base conforming in shape to said member having a large single opening for receiving both said housings, and an upper flat edge encircling said single opening of said base coopcrating with the outer rim of a portion of said fiat lower surface of said member when said hand telephone is placed on said base for closing said opening to prevent accumulation of dust in said openin while said member is supported on said base.

GEORGE THOMAS BAKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

